Wireless bra

ABSTRACT

A wireless bra ( 1 ) comprising a back strap ( 2 ), for fastening the wireless bra ( 1 ) around the chest, and two at least partially preformed cups ( 3, 3   a,    3   b ) which are reinforced on the underside thereof and wherein an elastic band ( 5 ) connects the left edge ( 6   a ) of the left cup ( 3   a ) to the right edge ( 6   b ) of the right cup ( 3   b ). Said wireless bra ( 1 ) ensures that the breasts are adequately supported and ensures a good shaping of the breasts.

The invention relates to a wireless bra which comprises a back strap,for fastening the wireless bra around the chest, and two at leastpartially preformed cups.

Nowadays, many women wear underwired bras. However, underwired bras havemany disadvantages. Underwires often feel uncomfortable. They can pressinto the skin, for example. In the case of underwired bras, it is veryimportant to wear a bra with the correct cup size. However, for manywomen, the left and the right breast are not the same size. Since onebra cup is too large or too small for the breast, the skin at the heightof the underwire which is too small or too large becomes irritated.Underwires can deform when washing and drying bras. The built-inunderwire also frequently comes loose by piercing through the materialwhich surrounds it. Underwires which come loose can cause damage towashing machines or dryers.

Underwired bras are particularly uncomfortable if the person wearing thebra needs to move a lot. Sports bras are therefore often wireless.Wireless bras provide the wearer with more freedom of movement thanunderwired bras.

Underwired bras have often been linked to breast cancer. It is currentlynot clear whether underwired bras can cause cancer.

Despite all of these disadvantages, many women continue to wearunderwired bras because these bras offer adequate support to the breastsand ensure a good shaping of the breasts.

Since underwired bras have so many disadvantages, there are already manywireless bras on the market. The majority of wireless bras are sportsbras. These wireless bras, including sports bras, do provide adequatesupport and freedom of movement but the shaping of the breasts is not asgood as in underwired bras. There are already wireless bras withpreformed cups. These preformed cups are usually thickened in theirentirety with extra foam, to provide good support. However, this extrafoam means that the breasts tend to be flattened and the shape of thebreasts does not show up well. Moreover, said wireless bras areuncomfortable because the breasts are flattened. Omitting the extra foamis not an option since the support would then be adversely affected.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a wirelessbra which has the abovementioned advantages of an underwired bra, namelygood support and good shaping of the breasts, but which does not possessthe many disadvantages of an underwired bra.

This object is achieved by providing a wireless bra comprising a backstrap, for fastening the wireless bra around the chest, and two at leastpartially preformed cups, wherein the underside of each cup isreinforced, and comprising a band which connects at least part of theleft edge of the left cup to at least part of the right edge of theright cup.

There is at least as much support as in the case of underwires, due tothe reinforcement on the underside of the cups and due to said band.Underwires are therefore no longer necessary for providing adequatesupport. The band holds the cups and therefore also the breasts togetherand in the correct position, by which the shape of the breasts is good.As there are no underwires provided in this case, this bra is suitablefor women whose left and right breast are of different sizes. The bandwhich is provided means that the bra is able to partly adapt to the sizeof the breasts. The back strap also helps to ensure that the breasts areadequately supported.

In one advantageous embodiment, said band is situated on the inside ofthe bra. The inside of the bra refers to that side of the bra which liesagainst the body when the bra is being worn. In this way, said band issituated between the cups and the chest when the bra is fastened aroundthe chest. A band situated on the inside of the bra provides goodsupport. Moreover, the shaping of the breasts is better than in anembodiment where the band is situated on the outside of the bra. In thecase of a band on the outside of the bra, the cups are situated betweenthe band and the body when the bra is being worn. The preformed cups aretherefore flattened by the band, as a result of which the shape of thebreasts is not so good. If said band is situated between the cups andthe chest when the bra is being worn (thus on the inside of the bra),the cups are not flattened by the band and they keep their shape, as aresult of which the breasts have a better shape.

Said band is preferably elastic. Since said band is elastic, the cupsare held together even better and the band and therefore the entire bracan adapt even better to the size of the breasts.

Stitching is preferably provided on said band in the longitudinaldirection, said stitching extending substantially over the entire lengthof the band. Said stitching ensures that the band is no longer elasticat the places where the stitching has been provided. As a result of theloss of elasticity at the site of the stitching and the fact that thestitching is provided in the longitudinal direction, the band does notlose its tensile strength in the longitudinal direction while the bra isbeing worn and said tensile strength is also preserved even after thebra has been washed many times. However, the band retains its elasticityat the places where no stitching has been provided, so that the band canstill adapt to the size of the breasts.

In a specific embodiment, said band comprises at least two releasablyconnectable parts. Further, the length of said band is also adjustable.In this way, the length of the band can be adapted to the size of thebreasts.

In a preferred embodiment, said band is narrower in the centre than atthe sides. This increases the comfort while the bra is being worn andreduces the visibility of said band. In the embodiment where the band issituated on the inside of the bra, the bra can be designed in such amanner that the band is entirely covered by the cups and optionallyfabric which extends between the cups while the bra is being worn, as aresult of which the band is no longer visible.

In a specific embodiment, each cup is completely preformed. In this way,the entire cup ensures good shaping of the breast.

Each cup preferably comprises a thickened portion which is situated onthe underside of the cup and extends substantially over the width of thecup. Since the thickened portion is situated on the underside of the cupand extends substantially over the width of the cup, the breast rests onsaid thickened portion, as a result of which there is no risk of thebreasts being flattened and the shaping of the breast is therefore good.Said thickened portion on the underside also provides extra support forthe breast in addition to the support provided by the reinforcement onthe underside of the cup and by the elastic band. As the thickenedportion is situated on the underside, the upper part of the cup does notneed to be preformed and/or it is also possible for the cups to havedifferent shapes, for example cups which cover virtually the entirebreast or cups which cover only the lower part of the breast, such asbalconette bras.

In addition, said thickened portion on the underside of the cup can besubstantially crescent-shaped. The natural shape of a breast fits intosaid crescent-shaped thickened portion, as a result of which the shapeof the breast is even better.

In a specific embodiment, said thickened portion can contain foam. Foamis soft and comfortable.

In a preferred embodiment, each cup comprises a mesh which connects atleast part of the edges of each respective cup. Said mesh pulls the leftpart and the right part of the cup together, which ensures even bettershaping and extra support for the breast.

Said mesh is preferably elastic. This pulls the left edge and the rightedge of the cup together in an even more efficient manner, as a resultof which the shaping and also the support are improved.

In a more preferred embodiment, said mesh connects at least part of theleft edge, the bottom edge and at least part of the right edge of eachrespective cup in a substantially continuous manner. In this way, theleft edge and the right edge of the cup are pulled together in an evenmore efficient manner, as a result of which the shaping and the supportare improved.

Said back strap preferably comprises reinforcements. Thesereinforcements ensure, inter alia, that the back strap cannot stretchtoo far. In this way, the cups are held in the correct position and theshaping of the breasts is good. The back strap does not become stretchedeven after the wireless bra has been washed a number of times and wornfor a long time. A back strap also contributes to the support providedby a bra. It is therefore important that the back strap does notstretch, since a stretched back strap would result in a loss of support.The reinforcements of the back strap therefore provide both shaping andsupport.

The present invention will now be explained in more detail withreference to the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment of wireless bras according to the invention. The sole aim ofthis description is to present illustrative examples and to indicatefurther advantages and particulars of these wireless bras and cantherefore not be interpreted as a limitation of the area of applicationof the invention or of the patent rights defined in the claims.

In this detailed description, reference numerals are used to refer tothe attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a rear view of the bra according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the left cup;

FIG. 3 shows a rear view of the left cup, wherein only part of the bandis situated in front of the mesh.

The wireless bra (1) as illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a back strap(2), for fastening the bra (1) around the chest, two completelypreformed cups (3, 3 a, 3 b) and two shoulder straps (10). The shoulderstraps (10) are optional. Furthermore, various forms are possible, forexample crossed shoulder straps (10) or a strap to go around the neck.The preformed cups (3, 3 a, 3 b) preferably comprise foam and preferablyalready have a certain thickness. In FIG. 1, the right edge (6 b) of theleft cup (3 a) is connected to the left edge (6 a) of the right cup (3b) via extra material and the edges (6 b, 6 a) touch one another at thetop. These two cups (3 a, 3 b) can of course also be fastened to oneanother in another way. It is therefore not necessary for the edges (6b, 6 a) to touch one another at the top, for example, and it is notnecessary for the extra material to be embodied in a continuous manner,as shown in FIG. 1, for example. A simple strip between the cups (3 a, 3b) would be sufficient. However, the greater the extent to which thecups (3 a, 3 b) are connected to one another, the better the cups (3 a,3 b) can be held together and therefore the better the shaping.

The preformed cups (3, 3 a, 3 b) are reinforced on the underside andhave a preformed crescent-shaped thickened portion (4) on the underside,which extends substantially over the entire width of the cup (3, 3 a, 3b). The thickened portion (4) contains foam and is thickened in respectto the preformed cup (3, 3 a, 3 b) which preferably already has acertain thickness. It is of course possible for the thickened portion(4) to contain another material, for example silicone. The thickenedportion (4) can furthermore also be arranged in other places, forexample the sides of the cup (3, 3 a, 3 b). This may be desirable if theperson in question wants her breasts to seem somewhat larger. Moreover,there may also be a plurality of thickened portions (4) arranged on eachcup (3, 3 a, 3 b). It is therefore possible for a thickened portion (4)to be arranged on the underside, but also at the side, of the cup (3, 3a, 3 b). Said thickened portions (4) on the underside and at the side ofthe cup (3, 3 a, 3 b) can also be embodied in a continuous manner.

The entire left edge (6 a) of the left cup (3 a) and the entire rightedge (6 b) of the right cup (3 b) are connected by an elastic band (5)which is much narrower in the centre than at the edges (6 a, 6 b). InFIG. 1, which illustrates a rear view of the bra (1), it can be seenthat the band (5) is situated in front of the cups (3 a, 3 b). Theelastic band (5) is therefore situated on the inside of the bra (1). Theband (5) also comprises stitching (8) in the longitudinal direction ofthe elastic band (5) which extends over the entire length of the band(5). The elastic band (5) comprises two releasably connectable parts.

Each cup (3, 3 a, 3 b) further comprises a continuous elastic mesh (7)which connects part of the left edge (6 a), the bottom edge (6 c) andpart of the right edge (6 b) of each respective cup (3, 3 a, 3 b). InFIGS. 2 and 3, it can be seen that the mesh (7) is only connected to thelower parts of the left edge (6 a) and the right edge (6 b) and to thebottom edge (6 c) and therefore has a certain height. It is of coursealso possible for the entire left edge (6 a) and right edge (6 b) toalso be connected or for the mesh (7) to simply be slightly higher. Itis also possible for the mesh (7) not to be connected to the bottom edge(6 c) of the cup (3, 3 a, 3 b). The height of the mesh (7) depends onthe purpose of the mesh (7). If the intention is solely for the leftedge (6 a) and the right edge (6 b) of each cup (3, 3 a, 3 b) to bepulled together, the mesh (7) does not need to be so high and a thinstrip (7) between the left edge (6 a) and the right edge (6 b) of thecup (3, 3 a, 3 b) is sufficient, in principle. If, however, theintention is to place a large prosthesis or a large padded insertbetween the mesh (7) and the cup (3, 3 a, 3 b), the mesh (7) has to besomewhat higher. This is desirable if the intention is to achieve theeffect of a larger breast or if the person in question has had one ortwo breasts amputated.

The padded insert or the prosthesis can be made from foam or silicone.Other materials are of course possible. Silicones better imitate theshape of a breast. The size of the mesh (7) can be adapted to the sizeof the padded insert which is provided.

It is of course also possible to manufacture bras (1) where either theleft cup (3 a) or the right cup (3 b) is completely replaced by aprosthesis or the prosthesis is already built into the mesh (7) andwhere the other cup (3, 3 a, 3 b) and the rest of the bra (1) isembodied according to the invention. This is desirable if the person ifquestion has had one breast amputated.

Reinforcements (9) are applied to the back strap (2), in order toprovide even better shaping and even better support. Thesereinforcements (9) can be reinforcement bands (9) with stitching whichconnect part of the lower side of the back strap (2) to part of theupper side of the back strap (2). The back strap (2) in FIG. 1 isreleasably connectable and adjustable in length. Of course, it is notnecessary for the back strap (2) to be releasably connectable and/oradjustable in length.

The wireless bra (1) according to the invention ensures that the breastsare adequately supported without the breasts acquiring an unattractiveshape. Moreover, the wearer of the wireless bra (1) according to theinvention has sufficient freedom of movement. This wireless bra (1) hasall the advantages of an underwired bra, namely support and shaping.However, since the bra (1) according to the invention does not have anyunderwires, this bra (1) does not possess the disadvantages of anunderwired bra.

1. Wireless bra, comprising a back strap, for fastening the wireless braaround the chest, and two at least partially preformed cups, wherein theunderside of each cup is reinforced, and wherein the wireless bracomprises a band which connects at least part of the left edge of theleft cup to at least part of the right edge of the right cup, whereineach cup comprises a mesh which connects at least part of the edges ofeach respective cup.
 2. Wireless bra according to claim 1, characterizedin that said band is situated on the inside of the bra.
 3. Wireless braaccording to claim 1, characterized in that said band is elastic. 4.Wireless bra according to claim 1, characterized in that stitching isprovided on said band in the longitudinal direction, said stitchingextending substantially over the entire length of the band.
 5. Wirelessbra according to claim 1, characterized in that the band comprises atleast two releasably connectable parts.
 6. Wireless bra according toclaim 5, characterized in that the length of the band is adjustable. 7.Wireless bra according to claim 1, characterized in that said band isnarrower in the centre than at the sides.
 8. Wireless bra according toclaim 1, characterized in that each cup is completely preformed. 9.Wireless bra according to claim 1, characterized in that each cupcomprises a thickened portion which is situated on the underside of thecup and extends substantially over the width of the cup.
 10. Wirelessbra according to claim 9, characterized in that said thickened portionon the underside of the cup is substantially crescent-shaped. 11.Wireless bra according to claim 9, characterized in that said thickenedportion contains foam.
 12. (canceled)
 13. Wireless bra according toclaim 12, characterized in that said mesh (7) is elastic.
 14. Wirelessbra according to claim 12, characterized in that said mesh connects atleast part of the left edge, the bottom edge and at least part of theright edge of each respective cup in a substantially continuous manner.15. Wireless bra according to claim 12, characterized in that a paddedinsert can be placed between the mesh and the cup.
 16. Wireless braaccording to claim 1, characterized in that said back strap comprisesreinforcements.